Brought to you by:Architect: Weiss/ManfrediLocation: TorontoCompletion Date: 2024A pair of flat-top concrete pyramids designed by New York Citybased architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi now anoint the entrance to Torontos Queens Park. Known as the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Center (SRIC), the new structure will serve as a technology and artificial intelligence incubator for the University of Toronto, connecting students and researchers to local start-ups and corporations. To bring light down to the street level, Weiss/Manfredi designed a sloped facade for the SRIC and clad the building in white-colored precast concrete, brightening its appearance. Weiss/Manfredis SRIC rises 13 stories and affords 200,000 square feet of space for the universitys technology and entrepreneurship programs. (Younes Bounhar)The SRIC is sited in a peculiar location at the convergence of the University of Toronto, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Toronto General Hospital campuses. Weiss/Manfredi, a firm known in part for its academic work, brought their prior experience working with unusual sites to bear on the project. We were fortunate to have worked on some other projects that dont fit neatly into the heart or center of the campus, said Marion Weiss, one of the firms founding partners.The architects were also faced with a range of surrounding architectural styles to respond to. There are nearby Brutalist structures, such as the University of Torontos medical sciences building, and Ontarios Ministry of Finance, which is directly adjacent to the site. Queens Park creates a dramatic view corridor to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a massive red-sandstone building in the Romanesque style, and directly to the south is the Toronto General Hospital, a campus with a variety of architectural styles.The SRIC is located to the southeast of Queens Park, a large green space that fronts the Ontario Legislature. (Courtesy Weiss/Manfredi)One strategy to engage the adjoining urban fabric was the firms implementation of a series of outdoor balconies or winter gardens across the surface of the building. Each balconys height corresponds to that of a nearby structure. For example, the highest winter garden is in line with the Ministry of Finance.These spaces were afforded by insets in the facadeglazed cut aways that snake across the surface of the SRIC. The open slices of glass correspond with the buildings circulationits fire stairs and elevatorsas well as event and gathering spaces on the upper levels. Furthermore, glazing encases the ground floor lobby establishing connection to the Ontario Fire Fighters memorial, an adjacent pocket park.Massing diagram (Courtesy Weiss/Manfredi)The connections are made less through the material expression and more through the form of the building, Michael Manfredi, founding partner of Weiss/Manfredi, told AN. If youre moving through the building, youre always aware of the geography of the building and the context. Consideration of sunlight also shaped the SRICs design. The buildings slanted faces and pyramidal form are functional, allowing light to reach the street level. In addition, the height of the buildings western mass was reduced to accommodate the sites zoning, which forbid the creation of new shadows across Queens Park.The precast panels are faceted in form, creating a cascade of shadows that change throughout the day. (Courtesy Weiss/Manfredi)Faced with many nearby precedents for exterior expression, such as glass, stone, and brick, Weiss Manfredi ultimately selected precast concrete to brighten the buildings appearance and avoid an overbearing presence. A lot of people think that glass buildings are going to be the brightest building you can come up with, but by day, theyre often very black on the outside, and we wanted the building to feel as if it was luminous at all times, Weiss added.Precast concrete was also chosen due to its abundance in Ontario. The province is home to a number of fabricators and installers that work with the material. By leveraging local industries, the firm hoped to reduce the projects embodied energy.An oak paneled event space sits on the second floor of the SRIC. (Albert Vecerka)The interior of the building contains conference rooms, dry labs for computation and robotics, classrooms, and multiple event spaces, programs that will support the University of Torontos Entrepreneurship program, Innovations and Partnerships Office, and Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. In reference to Canadas position as a major exporter of timber, the SRIC has been furnished throughout with amber-stained oak paneling, a feature that is perhaps most dramatic inside the buildings main event space.University of Torontos SRIC is the result of a $100 million donation by Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reismanthe centers namesakesthat currently stands as the largest contribution in the schools history. A further expansion of the centeralso designed by Weiss/Manfrediis planned for the future.Project SpecificationsDesign Architect: Weiss/ManfrediArchitect of Record: Teeple ArchitectsMEP Engineer: Crossey EngineeringStructural Engineer: Thornton TomasettiCivil Engineer: Cole EngineeringAcoustics: NOVUS EnvironmentalWind: SLR ConsultingLighting: Lighting WorkshopConstruction Manager: EllisDon CorporationFacade Consultant: RJC Engineers, HeintgesFacade Access: ProbelConcrete: Tri-KreteFacade Installation: TKL GroupCurtain Wall: ANTAMEXLandscape Architect: DTAHHeritage Consultant: ERA ArchitectsTraffic: BA Consulting GroupVertical Transportation: Van Deusen & AssociatesSustainability Consultant: Atelier TenCost Estimation: HanscombCode Consultant: LMDG Building Code ConsultantsCivil Engineer: Cole EngineeringSpecifications: Teeple ArchitectsGeotechnical: OHE ConsultantsCommissioning: RWDIArborist: Bruce Tree

An open international contest is being held for a permanent new urban climate island installation in Felipe VI Park in Logroo, Spain (Deadline: 29 November)Organised by local cultural festival Concntrico the two-stage competition seeks proposals for a new urban climate island installation which offers thermal comfort and helps residents mitigate the challenges of rising local temperatures caused by the climate crisis.The winning 80,000 installation will be constructed around a lake in the city centre Felipe VI Park on a stretch of terracing featuring a hexagonal square. Proposals may use a range of measures such shading structures, tree planting, water permeable soft natural soil and benches to help reduce temperature at specific points.Competition site: Felipe VI Park climate island, LogrooAccording to the brief: In recent decades, climate change has generated significant impacts on natural and socio-economic systems, with the emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon-based gases, being the main cause.In southern Europe, an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts and floods, is anticipated.Faced with this situation, it is essential to implement adaptation actions to mitigate these effects, especially in cities, where phenomena such as climate islands, areas that experience significantly higher temperatures than their surroundings, are manifested.Logroo, in northern Spain, is a historic city overlooking the River Ebro and is the capital of the Rioja wine-producing province.Earlier this year, the city hosted a series of contest-winning installations selected as part of an annual open call held by The Logroo International Festival of Architecture and Design also known as Concntrico.The festival has delivered more than 70 pop-up installations and pavilions across the downtown area of the historic city since it was founded in 2015.The latest competition aims to create a new permanent infrastructure at the western end of Felipe VI Park close to Hermanos Hircio, Ingeniero Pino and Amorena streets that helps local inhabitants mitigate the impact of increasing heat waves.Competition site: Felipe VI Park climate island, LogrooSubmissions will be judged on their integration into the surrounding architectural and urban environment, versatility, sustainability in terms of materials and circular economy, and feasibility.Round one submissions should include a single A2-sized project summary panel. Four finalists teams will each receive 1,500 to participate in the second phase of the contest and the overall winner will receive a 10,000 prize.The competition organisers will be responsible for the production and construction of the winning proposal in coordination with the selected team.How to applyDeadline: 29 November 2024Competition funding source: Concentrico + Logroo City Council + LIF 2002Project funding source: Concentrico + Logroo City Council + LIF 2002Owner of site(s): Concentrico + Logroo City Council + LIF 2002Contact details: info@concentrico.esVisit the competition website for more information

Tech Say goodbye to needle nightmares: gadget gives doctors X-ray vision of your veins Device ends the struggle to find a vein in someone's body Published November 9, 2024 6:00am EST close Say goodbye to needle nightmares. This gadget gives doctors x-ray vision of your veins This device gives medical professionals Superman-like X-ray vision. We've all been there, sitting in the doctor's office, sleeve rolled up, watching nervously as the nurse searches for that elusive vein.For some, it's a quick and painless process.For others, it can feel like an eternity of poking and prodding. But what if there was a way to make this experience easier for everyone involved? Vein Locator. (Adison)Turning your skin transparent (sort of)Imagine a device that could give medical professionals Superman-like X-ray vision, allowing them to see right through your skin to the veins beneath. That's exactly what theAdison Vein Locator does. This nifty gadget uses cutting-edge optical technology to create a 3D map of your veins, making needle insertion a breeze.CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS Vein Locator. (Adison)How it worksThe Adison Vein Locator uses near-infrared light to penetrate your skin and create a real-time, three-dimensional image of your veins. It's like having a personal GPS for your circulatory system. The best part? It works on all skin tones and even through scar tissue. Vein Locator. (Adison)Not just for adultsFinding veins in infants can be particularly challenging due to their chubby little arms. The Adison Vein Locator has proven effective on patients as young as 6 months old, making those necessary blood draws and IV insertions much less stressful for both babies and medical staff.GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE Vein Locator. (Adison)Boosting success rates and patient comfortTests have shown that this device can improve the success rate of first-time IV insertions by a whopping 30%. That means fewer attempts, less discomfort, and happier patients all around. Vein Locator. (Adison)Award-winning designThe Adison Vein Locator isn't just functional it's also a looker. This sleek device won a RedDot design award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the product design world. It's not often that medical equipment gets recognized for its aesthetics. With its tilting screen and portable design, the Adison Vein Locator is ready for action in any setting. Whether you're in a hospital room or kneeling beside a patient on the ground, this device adapts to your needs. Vein Locator. (Adison)Kurt's key takeawaysBy making vein access easier and more accurate, the Adison Vein Locator has the potential to reduce patient anxiety, improve treatment efficiency, and even save lives in emergency situations. As we continue to see advancements in medical technology, devices like this remind us that sometimes, the most impactful innovations are those that solve everyday challenges in healthcare. The days of dreading needle sticks may soon be behind us, thanks to this remarkable "x-ray vision" gadget.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWould you feel more at ease during blood draws or IV insertions if your healthcare provider used advanced vein visualization technology like the Adison Vein Locator compared to traditional methods? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/NewsletterFollow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

The UK government has committed to resolving the fallout from a controversial, retroactive UK tax policy that has left thousands of IT contractors living under the shadow of life-changing tax bills since it came into force in April 2019.In its recently announced Autumn Budget 2024, the government confirmed the policy (known as the Loan Charge) will be subject to an independent review to help bring the matter to a close for those affected, whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers.The governments wording here is interesting, because it neatly highlights the conflict and controversy at the centre of this policy, which has plunged contractors into financial ruin and been linked to at least 10 suicides.The policy was created to claw back money HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) claims it is owed by thousands of contractors who joined loan-based remuneration schemes between December 2010 and April 2019.Participants in these schemes are typically paid in part for the work they do in the form of non-taxable loans. This means they pay no tax on this loan-based income, allowing participants to bolster their take-home pay.Given HMRCs role as the UK governments tax collection agency, its not difficult to see why it sought to clamp down on people using loan-based remuneration schemes to artificially minimise the amount of income tax they pay.However, the policys critics claim it fails to take into account that when these schemes were first set up, many were erroneously marketed as being an HMRC compliant means for contractors to bolster their take-home pay, with individuals often advised to join such schemes by respected tax advisers.Its further claimed contractors were also reportedly told they would be unable to work for certain end-hirers unless they agreed to be paid in loans. For this reason, the contractors now being pursued by HMRC for backdated income tax payments claim they are victims of mis-selling, and facing financial ruin for agreeing to be part of an arrangement that trusted sources assured them was safe and compliant to participate in.The situation has prompted calls from a 200-strong group of cross-party MPs for HMRC to stop doggedly pursuing the individuals involved, and instead direct its enforcement efforts towards the employers, agencies and scheme promoters who advised people these setups were safe to use.Given the amount of time that has passed since contractors took part in these schemes and HMRC began its Loan Charge enforcement action, tracking these parties down could prove difficult, as many of these firms and individuals have since disappeared from the market.Since the policys introduction, there has been talk of legal challenges being mounted to overturn the policy and campaigns, calling for the government to write off some of the tax amounts that are owed by contractors.As confirmed by the government in its statement about its plans to place the policy under independent review, the Loan Charge legislation remains in force, and any repayment settlement plans contractors have in place with HMRC must be honoured until the outcome of the review is known. HMRC will consider what updates need to be made to relevant guidance once the government announces further details about the review and once the review has concluded, the government said, in its statement.At the time of writing, no further details have been forthcoming from the government about what shape this independent review will take, or who will be tasked with overseeing it.Computer Weekly contacted HMRC for further details, but was told HM Treasury would be fielding questions on the Loan Charge review. At the time of writing, though, no response to Computer Weeklys questions had been received.This will be the second independent review the policy has been the subject of, with the first appearing in December 2019, after months of delays.Dave Chaplin, CEO of contracting authority ContractorCalculator, said a new review into the inner workings of the Loan Charge is most welcome.The human cost of this heavy-handed and poorly implemented policy cannot be overstated, he said. HMRC must be held accountable for this punitive, retrospective tax, which has had devastating consequences, with some affected individuals tragically taking their own lives due to the immense pressure.The first Loan Charge review was overseen by ex-National Audit Office (NAO) chief Amyas Morse, and was focused on ascertaining if the policy was the most appropriate way to tackle disguised remuneration.In the immediate aftermath of its publication in December 2019, the government announced a couple of amendments to the loan charge policy, including one that pledged to write off the tax bills of 11,000 people previously caught in its scope.It achieved this by cutting 11 years off the original 20-year period the policy covered, and by cancelling the Loan Charge for any individuals who previously disclosed to HMRC that they participated in a scheme on their tax returns if the agency failed to act on this information.The review also prompted the government to revise the policys repayment terms by making it possible for those in-scope to pay back what they owe over several tax years instead of one.While these amendments were initially welcomed by contracting market stakeholders, once the dust settled on the December 2019 review, misgivings about its contents began to surface, with tax advisers and contractors claiming the proposed changes did not go far enough.Some six months after the review dropped, in June 2020, a cross-party group of MPs operating as the Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) claimed its contents had been subject to outside interferenceby HMRC and the Treasury, which the latter denied in a statement to Computer Weekly at the time.Meanwhile, campaigners from the Loan Charge Action Group (LCAG) have been calling for all retrospective elements of the policy to be removed for years, and in a statement, its spokesperson, Steve Packham, said this second review into the policy must be genuinely independent and take a much broader look at how the fallout from the Loan Charge came to be.Read more about the Loan ChargeThe fallout from HMRC's controversial disguised remuneration clampdown, the Loan Charge policy, has been likened to the Post Office Horizon scandal during a House of Commons debate.A document dump of emails shared between HMRC officials has prompted loan charge campaigners to further question the legal footing of the governments controversial disguised remuneration policy.On this point, Packham said LCAG is keen for the review to touch on how the IR35 off-payroll rules fuelled the emergence of loan-based remuneration schemes at the turn of the century, and also HMRCs treatment of contractors caught up in the Loan Charge.It is hugely positive that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has made good on her promise to commission a fresh, independent review of the Loan Charge, he said. We thank her and James Murray for this and for actually listening to those whose lives have and are being ruined by the Loan Charge scandal.This fresh review must be genuinely independent and this time must look at the whole issue, the role of IR35 legislation, the entire contractor supply chain and the misconduct and failures of HMRC, said Packham.There must now be a pause in related HMRC activity, to allow for the review to be established and to then properly examine the whole scandal, leading to a fair and final resolution for the thousands of families affected.Computer Weekly asked HM Treasury if there were any plans to pause HMRCs Loan Charge enforcement activity as the finer details of the review are worked out, but no response was received at the time of publication.For now, it remains to be seen what form this review will take, but its safe to assume the tens of thousands of people living under the long shadow of the Loan Charge will be watching and waiting with interest.

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ZDNET's key takeaways The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro camera is available now on Amazon for $349. This action camera has some of the best stabilization of any action camera on the market. The default settings on the Action 5 Pro aren't exactly the best for action shots, so you'll need to customize it before you go out. more buying choices I've used GoPro cameras for a very long time. From filming mountain bike rides to indoor videos, they served me well. Those cameras were far from perfect -- the fish-eye effect was a bit much and the built-in mics were terrible. When I got serious about filming (and left behind the notion of filming my trail shenanigans), I left the GoPros (and action cameras in general) behind.When DJI reached out about reviewing the Osmo Action 5 Pro, all of a sudden, I got excited about the idea of getting back on my mountain bike and filming some trail rides.Also:Is GoPro still the best action camera? Well, it dependsMy experience with the Action 5 Pro didn't start off all that well (more on that in a bit), but once I had it initialized and ready, the tiny camera really impressed me.Before I get into my take on this camera, let's talk specs.The specs47GB of built-in storageDual OLED high-brightness touchscreen displaysNext-gen 1/1.3" sensor with up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range and an aperture of f/2.84nm high-performance chipProfessional-grade air pressure and water pressure gaugesWi-Fi 6.0 and USB 3.0 high-speed transfer4-hour battery lifeSuperNight mode with AI to reduce noise10-bit D-Log M footage with color recoveryPrice - $349 at major retailersMy experienceWhen I first received the camera, I had to register and initialize it using the DJI Mimo app. That's where the first issue began: the app isn't available on the Google Play Store. Instead, you have to download it from DJI's website. The download was painfully slow, and it took several tries to get it downloaded to my Pixel 9 Pro. Once I finally had it installed, I opened it, logged into my DJI account, and went through the steps to initialize the camera.The app recognized the camera but refused to connect to it, no matter what I tried or how many times I attempted it. I reached out to DJI support, and for whatever reason, they couldn't help me (which is odd because DJI support usually works great).Eventually, my Pixel 9 Pro received an update, and that did the trick. The DJI app connected to the camera, and I could initialize it.I did a few quick tests with the camera. I wanted to put together a short film to see how well it would work for that process. I'm still working on that, but I quickly decided this was an action camera, and people wouldn't purchase it for narrative filmmaking. So instead, I slapped the camera on my fully rigid single-speed mountain bike and prepared to hit the trails. You can view the test footage here.Also: Is GoPro's cheaper $200 4K action camera worth it? Only if these features matter to youThe first thing that hit me about this camera was the built-in storage. Initially, I inserted a microSD card and made a quick film of me on my road bike, but that didn't go so well because the card's write speed couldn't keep up with the camera. With the internal storage, that's not a problem.The second feature was the dual OLED touchscreens, which made it so easy to keep track of what you're filming from the front or the back. The touchscreens automatically shut off after a set period of use to conserve battery. To bring the screen back to life, all you have to do is touch it. The rear touchscreen is one of the best I've seen on an action camera. Jack Wallen/ZDNETWhen I set off on my mountain bike, I went with the default settings, which was a mistake, given that it was configured for 30fps at 1080p. I should have changed that to 60fps at 4K to get the best possible quality. I also left it on normal mode (assuming the default would be set to sport). This took me by surprise, given how action cameras are typically used. One would think the camera would be automatically configured for the best possible results for action out of the box.Lesson learned.Even though the resulting footage wasn't the best possible quality, the one thing it revealed was the quality of the camera's internal stabilization. I ride a fully rigid, carbon fiber single speed, which equates to a very bumpy ride. When I ride that bike, I have to stay very loose in the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders; otherwise, I'd bounce right off. On top of that, the trail system near my house isn't exactly smooth.Also: This thumb-sized camera is my new 'must-have' for travelingDespite all that, the footage came out remarkably smooth. You would never have known I wasn't riding a full-suspension bike with plenty of cushions. Sure, I wish I had taken the time to customize the video parameters before I spent nearly an hour flying through the trails, but the end results were still impressive.Back when I was using GoPro cameras, I paid nearly the same price as the DJI Osmo 5 Pro camera and didn't get nearly the results.There are also some really cool add-ons for the camera, such as ND filters and plenty of ways to attach the camera to various vehicles and surfaces. I did have a little trouble with the mount I used, but that was because the handlebar I attached it to is carbon fiber, and I wasn't about to crank it down hard enough to keep it locked in place. Eventually, I found the right amount of tension to keep it in place, and all was good.ZDNET's buying adviceIf action cameras are your thing, skip the competition and go directly to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better consumer-grade camera suited for all types of action (underwater, above water, or in the sky). The internal storage and dual OLED touchscreens alone make this worth the price of entry. Couple that with the quality of video it produces, and this is a winner on all fronts.With the holidays approaching, consider one of these cameras for your family members who live on the edge and like to film everything they do.Featured reviews

ZDNET's key takeaways TCL's 98-inch Class S5 Series TV is one of the most accessibly-priced TVs of its size, and it's currently on sale for $1,500 off. Watching movies and TV shows on such a big display is as close to a theatre-like experience as one can get at home. With such a large TV, setting it up can be a struggle, especially if you don't have a big enough console or wall space more buying choices TCL makes some impressive TVs using advanced display technologies, specifications, and optimizations for the best picture quality possible. Yet sometimes, they put all that aside and say, "Hey, let's just make a really big TV for the sake of making a really big TV." And that's what this 98-inch set is all about.This TV, a member of TCL's lower-end S5 series, is currently on sale for $1,500 off its normal price of $2,999, bringing the cost down to $1,999. TCL was kind enough to let me know about this deal in an email a few weeks ago, and I was wildly intrigued, to say the least. "A 98-inch TV for less than $2,500?" I thought to myself. That seemed impossible.I've been living with the 98-inch TCL S5 Series, and here's how the experience has been.Setting up a 98-inch TVThe biggest challenge this TV poses is fitting it in your home. This thing is gigantic; it's 85.7 inches wide, 49.1 inches tall, and the feet are 68.5 inches apart. If you have a wall big enough to mount it on, then you're all set. But if you don't, you might be scrambling to find an entertainment center big enough to accommodate this behemoth. Max Buondonno/ZDNETThe latter was me, by the way -- I was the one scrambling. My brothers helped me unbox the TV (which felt impossible since our drop ceilings stopped us from lifting the lid straight up in the air), and after we ripped through all the Styrofoam and plastic wrap, we needed to figure out a place to set it up in our relatively small living room.Also:The best TVs under $1,000: Expert testedMy first thought was to leave it on the ground, but who wants to look down to watch TV? Then we considered ditching our current entertainment center and moving our 65-inch LG TV somewhere else to caddy corner it (again, on the ground), but that meant we'd have to dismember our entire living room.So, we came up with a compromise: we set up two folding catering tables, pushed our couch and loveseat against the wall, and plopped the 98-inch mammoth right in front of our fireplace. Is it perfect? Not really, but it works for the sake of this review.The most immersive experience available (unless you find one bigger)None of us were quite prepared for just how big this TV is. Sure, I had a sense of how big it was before we plugged it in, but once that 98-inch screen lit up, we were all taken aback. Many people dream of having a movie theater in their home to enjoy their favorite cinema flicks and games, and buying a TV like TCL's 98S550G will get you as close to that reality as possible.Maybe it's because we're sitting so close to it, maybe it's the switch from watching on a 65-inch TV for so long, but whatever the reason, the feeling of immersion you get from watching this 98-inch TV never seems to fade away. Everything you tune into will feel more lifelike than you can imagine -- that goes for movies like "Oppenheimer" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" to cable TV like "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives".Also: The most immersive soundbar I've tested is not made by Vizio or JBLMy only wish is that I had gotten to see Super Bowl LVIII on it. That being said, I can already tell this TV will be the perfect fit for anyone who uses multiview through NFL Sunday Ticket.I mean it when I say that your jaw can drop at any moment when watching this TV. If you have a favorite movie or TV show, it simply makes it better since it's just so big. It's easy to see no matter where you are in the room, and it ensures there isn't a bad seat in the house.Ordinary specs, but solid picture quality nonetheless My 4K HDROppenheimerDVD looked amazing on this thing. Max Buondonno/ZDNETBeyond its magnificent 98-inch size, the rest of the 98S550G is pretty basic, at least when it comes to high-end TVs. It uses a QLED panel which helps deliver brighter colors and better contrast, and I can confidently say it's one of the best LED TVs I've ever seen. However, you won't get the same luxuries as something like an OLED or Mini LED TV with local dimming, richer contrast, and increased brightness. On the bright side, you won't get any light haloing around your content since it uses one huge backlight.The TV has a 4K resolution and supports refresh rates up to 120Hz, which is a nice touch for any gamers who want to enjoy silky-smooth gameplay on the panel. I will say though, 4K on a 98-inch panel doesn't feel the same as it does on a 65-inch panel; pixel density isn't nearly as high since they're scattered across a much larger canvas, and if you get close to the TV, you can definitely see individual pixels. It's not an issue by any means, but I found it interesting nonetheless.Also: Your Roku TV is about to get a new premium feature - for freeThe picture quality is decent overall. "Oppenheimer" looked great playing off the 4K HDR DVD I purchased, while 1080p upscaled cable shows weren't too shabby, either. You have plenty of options to control how everything looks in the settings menu, and once you set it up, I'd highly advise turning off motion smoothing. On 98 inches of television, the added frames does not do most content justice. Max Buondonno/ZDNETWith the 98-inch S5, TCL made sure to include a lot of specs and features customers might be interested in, including HDR Ultra (consisting of Dolby Vision IQ, Open HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG), a dedicated Game Accelerator 240 for 240 VRR support, Dolby Atmos, AirPlay, Chromecast, voice assistant integration, and even dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. There are four HDMI ports to take advantage of, along with optical audio and Ethernet ports.Also: Changing these 6 TV settings can drastically speed up its performanceSound quality is also solid. At higher volumes, mids and highs can start to screech, but the built-in subwoofer helps anchor everything with a surprising amount of bass, something that can be tuned in the settings if you want more or less boom during your movies. I'd still opt for a dedicated sound system if you want a true movie theater setup, but my family and I were happy with what the TV kicked out.ZDNET's buying adviceAt $1,599, it's hard to ignore TCL's 98-inch Class S5 Series TV for very long. If you have a spot in your home where you can fit a TV of this size and magnitude -- and you don't mind dropping $2,000 -- I can see this TV making a lot of sense for an immersive entertainment setup. Granted, you won't get the best picture quality out there, but it's important to remember that anything better than what TCL gives you will run you at least $5,000 to $10,000.In the end, I had a lot of fun reviewing this huge 98-inch TV, but I'm ready to send it back. For our home, it's a bit too intrusive and gets in the way more often than not. (Let's remember that it's blocking my entire fireplace.) But if you have the space for it, part of me wants to tell you to rush out and grab one while the deal's happening. I think you'll dig it, and your entire household will be addicted to looking at it. And at the end of the day, isn't that what we're all after when buying a new TV?Featured reviews

Aurora borealis over the sea, snowy mountains at starry winter night. Northern Lights in Lofoten ... [+] islands, Norway. Sky with polar lights. Landscape with aurora, rocky beach, sky, reflection in watergettyAre the Northern Lights dangerous? Powerful geomagnetic storms in May and October brought intense displays of aurora borealis across the U.S. as far south as Arizona and Florida. May's was the strongest for possibly hundreds of years. Whats going on?Theres a lot of fear-mongering online about the suns activity as it reaches its (perfectly natural) solar maximum a once-in-11-years event but rest assured that observing the Northern Lights is perfectly safe for observers. They occur hundreds of miles up in the atmosphere and pose no threat to people below.However, the electrically charged particles produced during geomagnetic storms can harm infrastructure and experts are becoming increasingly concerned.Northern Lights Alert: Solar Flares And Coronal Mass EjectionsSpace weather is split into two major events on the surface of the sun that can have consequences for Earth solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Both are on the uptick this year because the sun is now in its solar maximum period.Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation that typically erupt from sunspots on the surface of the sun and travel at the speed of light. If directed at Earth, they arrive in just over eight minutes and trigger a geomagnetic storm. Minor events regularly cause radio outages for mariners and short-wave radio users, which can cause radio blackouts. A solar flares big impact is typically on GPS systems on the order of about a minute, which is generally not a huge issue, said Andy Gerrard at the New Jersey Institute of Technologys Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, in an interview. Pilots have backup means to land, take off, and operate the plane.MORE FOR YOUCoronal mass ejections are vast clouds of magnetic fields and plasma hurled into space at up to 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) per second. They typically follow in the wake of a significant solar flare. A CME can cause a geomagnetic storm if it's directed toward Earth. It can change the shape of Earth's magnetic field to create spectacular aurora displays. A coronal mass ejection takes two or three days, so weve got time to prepare, but it can easily miss Earth, said Gerrard.Damage to infrastructure is done when a solar flare or a CME is particularly powerful. That happened last May, when a halo CME saw several CMEs traveling at different speeds arrive at Earth at the same time.Northern Lights Alert: One Night In MayMays G5-rated geomagnetic storm event wasnt anywhere near as strong as it could have been, but it did have unexpected consequences. As well as putting strain on SpaceX's Starlink broadband internet satellites, the surge in charged particles affected GPS satellites, compromising the accuracy of critical GPS navigation systems used in modern farming.GPS receivers work when a signal is received at regular intervals, much like a beat from a metronome, from a satellite in orbit, said Tim Marquis, a senior product manager at John Deere. During solar storms, that signal hits a fog of charged particles and can be lost. And machines cant know precisely where they are thanks to this interference.Cue NOAAs Aurora - 30 Minute Forecast is designed not to help aurora-hunters but those overseeing infrastructure that needs protection.Mays event may have been relatively powerful, but it was nothing compared to what could happen. Solar superstorms involving planet-wide aurora are rated as once-a-century events and, as luck would have it, are yet to occur in the modern age. The three major solar storms in human history all happened in quick succession in 1859, 1872 and 1921 now over a century ago.Northern Lights Alert: Carrington EventThe most intense solar storm was the so-called Carrington Event of Sept. 2, 1859, when astronomer Richard C. Carrington observed a blast of white light from the sun for about five minutes. It was the most significant solar flare ever recorded, an X45, and later produced global auroras. However, it caused few issues in pre-industrial society aside from electric shocks to telegraph operators. As far as we know, it was one of the largest storms that hit the Earth in the past 200 or 300 years, said Gerrard. There are news reports at the time of the aurora being almost a global phenomenon.In the past, a massive once-a-century solar storm could occur without incident, but a solar storm of similar intensity right now could have profound effects. The most compelling evidence is what happened in Quebec, Canada, in 1989 when a solar storm knocked out electricity grids. Back then, the power grid was more susceptible because it was more interconnected, said Gerrard. If one area went down, other grids would pick up that load.During that event, there was a pooling of current from the grid in the northeast U.S. that caused transformers to fail simply because the load was much bigger than anticipated under normal circumstances. Since 911, a lot of the grids, not only in the U.S. but around the world, have quick disconnects, so if the load gets too high going from one grid to another, theyll disconnect themselves immediately, said Gerrard. You wont have that burnout.A solar storm of similar intensity to 1859's "Carrington Event" right now could have profound ... [+] effects.gettyNorthern Lights Alert: What Would Happen Now?If there was a giant solar storm now, local grids would go down but would likely be fixed within a day or two. You can bring in transformers, repair equipment and repair crews from other areas, said Gerrard. However, that could be impossible during a repeat of a Carrington Event-scale solar superstorm.A study published by Lloyds of London and Atmospheric and Environmental Research in 2013 suggested that a massive solar storm of Carrington strength could cost $2.5 trillion, with its effects lasting over a year. A significant event could even affect the internets vast network of undersea cables.You wouldn't just lose just one power grid; you'd lose power grids worldwide, said Gerrard. Where do we get back up? Where do we get spares? Where do we get transformers? How do we repair the electric grid? How do we repair transatlantic cables, communication you name it.Are we prepared for another Carrington Event? Every country is a bit at a loss and unprepared for that type of a scenario, said Gerrard. The probability of the big one occurring is low, but we know from the geological record that they are inevitable. Theyre more frequent than a near-Earth asteroid, said Gerrard. There will be one in the next 200 years.Northern Lights Alert: The Challenge For ForecastersIts always a challenge for us because everyone loves the aurora borealis, and the bigger the storm, the further south its visible, said Bill Murtagh, Program Coordinator for the National Oceanic and. Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction, in a press briefing in October.The trouble is that space weather forecasters have to rely on models for most of the two-or-three-day journey CMEs take from the sun to the Earth. How fast is the CME traveling? Is it, in fact, headed for Earth? Forecasters have real-time data only once the CME strikes NASAs DSCOVR and ACE satellites about a million miles out orbiting Earth. They measure a CMEs speed and magnetic intensity, which is critical in calculating how the solar wind is about to change. Depending on the speed of the CME, the satellites give a mere 15-30 minutes warning of a significant space weather event and the resulting displays of the northern lights.Murtagh knows everyone gets excited about aurora, but at the same time, we cant be hoping for these big displays because they threaten our critical infrastructure, he said. We always have to be careful what we wish for.Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2Credit: ParamountIts been nearly two years since the wildly popular modern Western drama Yellowstone last aired an episode. Season 5, Part 1 ended with its 7th episode in December of 2022. Episode 8 drops today.Thats a long goshdarn wait, yall. Im allowed to write sentences like that because Im from the very place this show takes place: Bozeman, Montana, born and raised. Its where I rode my first horse, though I didnt do any bronco riding and I cant lasso to save my life. I can hit the side of a barn with a rifle, but Im no John Dutton.In fact, no John Dutton is apropos, because Kevin Costner will not make an appearance in this half-season of the series. The movie star and filmmaker of the show had a much-ballyhooed dispute with mega-producer Taylor Sheridan about the amount of time he was required to be on set. Costner wasand remainsin the process of making his epic four-part Western movie series Horizon: An American Saga, and his attention was too divided to remain a part of the Yellowstone melodrama.(I rather liked Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, and Im excited to see Chapter 2 later this year).In any case, the story of the Dutton family continues on Paramount Network tonight at 8pm ET and at 10pm ET on CBS (a special airing).The big catch in the title of this post is that this is the only way to watch unless you wait for the streaming release on Peacock months later. Thats not entirely true. You can also purchase the season on Prime Video and watch episodes sooner online. But the only way to keep up with Beth (Kelly Reilly), Rip (Cole Hauser), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Monica (Kelsey Asbille), Jamie (Wes Bentley), Jimmy (Jefferson White) and all the rest of the sprawling cast of cowboys and their antagonists, is to have traditional cable TV.Read More: NYT Strands Today: Hints, Spangram And Answers For Sunday, November 10thAre you watching Yellowstone still? I know a lot of fans have been unhappy with the trajectory of the show over the past couple of seasons, but it remains a wildly popular soap opera (I call it a soap opera just like I considered Sons of Anarchy to be a soap opera, but you may disagree). Let me know your thoughts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.For more shows and movies out this weekend, check out my weekend streaming guide. Netflix also just dropped the final season of one of its best shows, though its about as different from Yellowstone as you can get.

Key takeawaysCelestias (TIA) price increased by 10% within 24 hours.A significant $5.62 million in TIA tokens flowed out of exchanges, suggesting investors expect continued price growth for TIA.TIAs trading volume peaked at $350 million before pulling back slightly, signaling strong market interest. Public, emphasizing strict adherence to local financial regulations.Celestia Price Surge Backed by Exchange OutflowsCelestia (TIA) recorded a 10% price surge in just 24 hours, marking one of its most impressive rallies this month, according to CoinMarketCap. This surge is particularly notable because it coincided with a large exchange outflow.A high exchange outflow typically indicates that investors are holding onto their assets. This also suggests that the investors could be preparing for a potential extended rally.This was the case for Celestia as on November 6, Coinglass data showed a notable outflow of $5.62 million worth of TIA from exchanges.For context, exchange inflow and outflow data track how many tokens move into or out of trading platforms. These moves reflect growing optimism and could mean the altcoins rally still has momentum.The increase in Celestias price and exchange outflows wasnt the only notable development. According to CoinMarketCap data, TIAs total value saw a significant spike, surpassing $2 billion.Also, in the early hours of today, its trading volume rose to $300 million. While the volume has slightly dropped since then, it remains significantly higher than it had been in previous days.A rise in trading volume typically indicates increased interest in a cryptocurrency.TIA Eyes Key Resistance LevelAs Celestia continues its upward momentum, technical analysis shows that the token is approaching a crucial resistance level.Specifically, TIA is nearing a point where it could break above the Ichimoku Cloud on its 4H chart.The Ichimoku Cloud is a trading tool used to predict trends and find support and resistance levels.For TIA, bulls are currently trying to push the price above this resistance zone. If they succeed, it could pave the way for even more gains.The next target for TIAs price is around $6.15, a level that many traders are watching closely.In addition, TIAs PVT level is currently at 22 million, validating the bullish trend in the market.The chart above shows that the SuperTrend is displaying abuy signal. Supporting this is the CMF indicator, currently at 0.15.These indicators point to a strong bullish momentum, possibly pushing TIA to the $6 target. However, if the price struggles to break above the Ichimoku Cloud resistance, theres a chance that it could retrace back to $3.73.Overall, Celestias recent 10% price increase, combined with the surge in exchange outflows and trading volume, points to strong optimism among investors.With bulls pushing the price toward key resistance levels, the next few days will be crucial in determining whether TIA can sustain its upward momentum.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Rida is a dedicated crypto journalist with a passion for the latest developments in the cryptocurrency world. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to thorough research, she delivers timely and insightful news articles that keep her readers informed about the rapidly evolving digital economy. View all articles by Rida Fatima Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.